Substrate comprising an inductive coupler for signal leakage reduction

ABSTRACT

A substrate that includes at least one dielectric layer and an inductive coupler formed in the at least one dielectric layer. The inductive coupler includes a first inductor and a second inductor. The first inductor is formed in the at least one dielectric layer. The first inductor is configured to be coupled to a transmitter filter and an antenna. The second inductor is formed in the at least one dielectric layer. The second inductor is configured to be coupled to the transmitter filter and ground. The second inductor is configured to provide a path to ground for a rejected signal having a rejected frequency. The second inductor is configured such that the rejected signal traveling through the second inductor causes the first inductor to generate an induced signal that counteracts a leakage signal traveling through the transmission filter.

BACKGROUND Field

Various features relate to substrates, but more specifically tosubstrates that include an inductive coupler for signal leakagereduction for a radio frequency (RF) filter.

Background

Many communication devices use an antenna, a transmitter, and a receiverto communicate through a transmission medium, with other communicationdevices. Often, these communication devices communicate through a mediumthat is congested with many signals. The number of signals can affectthe quality of the communication between these devices. To address themany signals that are present in the transmission medium, filters may beused to isolate signals and filter out certain signals. However, thesefilters have limitations and drawbacks, such as signal leakage.

Therefore, there is a need for providing communication devices andfilters with reduced signal leakage.

SUMMARY

Various features relate to substrates, but more specifically tosubstrates that include an inductive coupler for signal leakagereduction for a radio frequency (RF) filter.

One example provides a substrate that includes at least one dielectriclayer and an inductive coupler formed in the at least one dielectriclayer. The inductive coupler includes a first inductor and a secondinductor. The first inductor is formed in the at least one dielectriclayer. The first inductor is configured to be coupled to a transmitterfilter and an antenna. The second inductor is formed in the at least onedielectric layer. The second inductor is configured to be coupled to thetransmitter filter and ground. The second inductor is configured toprovide a path to ground for a rejected signal having a rejectedfrequency. The second inductor is configured such that the rejectedsignal traveling through the second inductor causes the first inductorto generate an induced signal that counteracts a leakage signaltraveling through the transmission filter.

Another example provides an apparatus that includes a die comprising atransmission filter; and a substrate coupled to the die. The substrateincludes at least one dielectric layer and means for inductive coupling.The means for inductive coupling includes means for first inductanceformed in the at least one dielectric layer, where the means for firstinductance is coupled to the transmitter filter and an antenna. Themeans for inductive coupling includes means for second inductance formedin the at least one dielectric layer. The means for second inductance iscoupled to the transmitter filter and ground. The means for secondinductance is configured to provide a path to ground for a rejectedsignal having a rejected frequency. The means for second inductance isconfigured such that the rejected signal traveling through the means forsecond inductance causes the means for first inductance to generate aninduced signal that counteracts a leakage signal traveling through thetransmission filter.

Another example provides a method for fabricating a substrate. Themethod provides an inductive coupler with a substrate. The method ofproviding the inductive coupler includes providing a first inductorformed in the at least one dielectric layer, wherein the first inductoris coupled to a transmitter filter and an antenna. The method ofproviding the inductive coupler includes providing a second inductorformed in the at least one dielectric layer. The second inductor iscoupled to the transmitter filter and ground. The second inductor isconfigured to provide a path to ground for a rejected signal having arejected frequency. The second inductor is configured such that therejected signal traveling through the second inductor causes the firstinductor to generate an induced signal that counteracts a leakage signaltraveling through the transmission filter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features, nature and advantages may become apparent from thedetailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which like reference characters identify correspondinglythroughout.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary circuit diagram for reducing signalleakage for a transmission filter.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary chart of signal leakage for atransmission filter with and without signal leakage control.

FIG. 3 illustrates another exemplary chart of signal leakage for atransmission filter with and without signal leakage control.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary chart of isolation performance of atransmission filter with and without signal leakage control.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary circuit diagram for reducing signalleakage implemented with a substrate.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary circuit diagram for reducing signalleakage implemented with a substrate.

FIG. 7 illustrates a view of an exemplary inductive coupler for signalleakage control.

FIG. 8 illustrates a view of an exemplary substrate with an inductivecoupler for signal leakage control coupled to a die that includestransmission filtering.

FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of an exemplary substrate with aninductive coupler for signal leakage control coupled to a die thatincludes transmission filtering.

FIG. 10 illustrates a plan view of a metal layer of an exemplarysubstrate with an inductive coupler for signal leakage control.

FIG. 11 illustrates a plan view of another metal layer of an exemplarysubstrate with an inductive coupler for signal leakage control.

FIG. 12 illustrates a plan view of another metal layer of an exemplarysubstrate with an inductive coupler for signal leakage control.

FIG. 13 illustrates a plan view of another metal layer of an exemplarysubstrate with an inductive coupler for signal leakage control.

FIG. 14 illustrates a profile view of a substrate that includes aninductive coupler for leakage signal control.

FIG. 15 illustrates a profile view of a substrate that includes aninductive coupler for leakage signal control, coupled to a die.

FIG. 16 (comprising FIGS. 16A-16C) illustrates an exemplary sequence forfabricating a substrate that includes an inductive coupler for leakagesignal reduction.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method forfabricating a substrate a substrate that includes an inductive couplerfor leakage signal reduction.

FIG. 18 illustrates various electronic devices that may integrate a die,an integrated device, a device package, a package, an integratedcircuit, a substrate and/or a PCB described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, specific details are given to provide athorough understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure.However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art thatthe aspects may be practiced without these specific details. Forexample, circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order to avoidobscuring the aspects in unnecessary detail. In other instances,well-known circuits, structures and techniques may not be shown indetail in order not to obscure the aspects of the disclosure.

The present disclosure describes a substrate that includes at least onedielectric layer and an inductive coupler formed in the at least onedielectric layer. The inductive coupler includes a first inductor and asecond inductor. The first inductor is formed in the at least onedielectric layer. The first inductor is coupled to a transmitter filterand an antenna. The second inductor is formed in the at least onedielectric layer. The second inductor is coupled to the transmitterfilter and ground. The second inductor is configured to provide a pathto ground for a rejected signal having a rejected frequency. The secondinductor is configured such that the rejected signal traveling throughthe second inductor causes the first inductor to generate an inducedsignal that counteracts a leakage signal traveling through thetransmission filter. The leakage signal travels towards a receivingfilter. The leakage signal travels through an impedance matchingcomponent when traveling towards the receiving filter. The substrate maybe implemented in a radio frequency front end (RFFE) device.

Exemplary Circuit Diagram for Leakage Signal Reduction

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary circuit configuration 100 for leakagesignal reduction during the transmitting and receiving of signals by acommunication device. The circuit configuration 100 includes atransmission filter 102, a transmitter 104, a receiving filter 106, areceiver 108, an inductive coupler 120, an antenna 130 and an impedancematching component 140. The inductive coupler 120 includes a firstinductor 122 and a second inductor 124. The circuit configuration 100may be implemented in a device with communication functionality, such amobile device, a laptop, an internet of things (IoT) device and/or avehicle.

The transmitter 104 is electrically coupled to the transmission filter102. The transmission filter 102 is electrically coupled to inductivecoupler 120. The inductive coupler 120 is electrically coupled to theantenna 130 and the impedance matching component 140. The antenna 130 iselectrically coupled to the impedance matching component 140. Theimpedance matching component 140 is electrically coupled to thereceiving filter 106. The receiving filter 106 is electrically coupledto the receiver 108.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first inductor 122 is electrically coupled tothe antenna 130 and the transmission filter 102. The second inductor 124is electrically coupled to the transmission filter 102 and to ground(which is represented by a ground terminal 132).

The transmission filter 102 is configured to perform signal processingon signals from the transmitter 104. An example of signal processingincludes removing unwanted components or features of signals, includingpartial or complete suppression of some aspects of signals. Thetransmission filter 102 may for example remove or suppress signals fromcertain frequencies. Examples of signal processing for the transmissionfilter 102 include low pass filtering, high pass filtering, band passfiltering and band stop filtering. However, other types of signalprocessing may be performed by the transmission filter 102. The signals(e.g., transmission signals) that have been processed by thetransmission filter 102 may travel to the antenna 130, through theinductive coupler 120.

The receiving filter 106 is configured to perform signal processing onsignals from the antenna 130. The signals from the antenna 130 maytravel through the impedance matching component 140. The impedancematching component 140 may include resistive components(s) and/orinductive component(s). The receiving filter 106 is similar to thetransmission filter 102 in that the receiving filter 106 may performsignal processing, such as removing unwanted components or features ofsignals, including partial or complete suppression of some aspects ofsignals. Examples of signal processing for the receiving filter 106include low pass filtering, high pass filtering, band pass filtering andband stop filtering. However, other types of signal processing may beperformed by the receiving filter 106. The signals (e.g., receivingsignals) that have been processed by the receiving filter 106 may travelto the receiver 108 for further processing.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of how signals may travel through thecircuit configuration 100. In an example where the transmission filter102 is configured to filter out or reject a particular signal (e.g.,rejected signal) with a particular frequency (e.g., rejected frequency),a majority of that particular signal (e.g., rejected signal) may travelto the ground terminal 132 through the second inductor 124. However,some of that particular signal (e.g., rejected signal) with thatparticular frequency (which is supposed to travel to ground) may leakthrough from the transmission filter 102 and travel to the firstinductor 122 and towards the receiving filter 106, which can affect andinterfere with signals from the antenna 130 to the receiving filter 106and/or the receiver 108.

FIG. 1 illustrates a rejected signal 160 (which is represented as arejected current (I2)) that the transmission filter 102 is configured toreject and filter out through the second inductor 124 and towards theground terminal 132. A rejected signal may be a signal that has aparticular frequency that is to be rejected. The transmission filter 102may be configured to filter out and reject signals from many frequencies(e.g., first rejected signal having a first rejected frequency, secondrejected signal having a second rejected frequency). However, for thepurpose of clarity, FIG. 1 only illustrates signals at a particularrejected frequency. Signals that do not have a particular rejectedfrequency (which are not shown) are allowed to pass through to the firstinductor 122. A majority of a signal with a rejected frequency may befiltered out towards the ground terminal 132. However, as mentionedabove, there may be a small amount of leakage signal that may be able topass through the transmission filter 102.

FIG. 1 illustrates a leakage signal 150 (which is represented as aleakage current (I1)) traveling from the transmission filter 102,through the first inductor 122 of the inductive coupler 120 and towardsthe impedance matching component 140 and the receiving filter 106. Theleakage signal 150 represents a signal that the transmission filter 102is configured to reject and filter out towards the ground terminal 132,but is a signal that was able to pass through to the first inductor 122.The leakage signal 150 may be a signal that has the same frequency asthe rejected signal 160. The leakage signal 150 is problematic becauseit may travel towards the receiving filter 106 and/or the receiver 108,and interfere with other signals from the antenna 130.

To address the leakage signal 150, the inductive coupler 120 isconfigured to generate an induced signal 170, which can offset orcounteract the leakage signal. The induced signal 170 (which isrepresented as an induced current (I3)) may have the same or similarfrequency as the leakage signal 150 but has a reverse phase to theleakage signal 150. In some implementations, the induced signal 170 mayhave the same or similar frequency as the leakage signal 150 but travelsin an opposite direction to the leakage signal 150. The magnitude orstrength of the induced signal 170 may be strong enough to reduce orcancel out the leakage signal 150, which then reduces or eliminates theleakage signal 150 that may travel to the receiving filter 106, therebyimproving isolation between the transmission signals and the receivingsignals.

The induced signal 170 is generated by using the rejected signal 160traveling through the second inductor 124. When the rejected signal 160travels though the second inductor 124, the second inductor 124 causesthe first inductor 122 to generate the induced signal 170. It is notedthat different rejected signals with different rejected frequencies mayproduce induced signals with different rejected frequencies. Forexample, during a first time period, a first rejected signal having afirst rejected frequency may cause a first induced signal with the firstrejected frequency to be generated, to counteract a first leakage signalhaving the first rejected frequency. During a second time period, asecond rejected signal having a second rejected frequency may cause asecond induced signal with the second rejected frequency to begenerated, to counteract a second leakage signal having the secondrejected frequency.

The configurations, sizes, and shapes of the first inductor 122 and thesecond inductor 124 may be configured such that the magnitude of theinduced signal 170 is similar to the leakage signal 150. Thus, thisconfiguration uses signals that are otherwise rejected in order tofurther improve the performance of the transmission filter 102 andprovide additional isolation capabilities between transmission signalsand receiving signals. The approach to providing isolation in thepresent disclosure is counterintuitive because other approaches tend todesign the path of the rejected signals to ground to be as far aspossible from the path of signals that are allowed pass through so thatthey don't interfere with one another. In some implementations, theamount of isolation between the transmission filter and the receivingfilter may be good enough such that a shield (e.g., electromagnetic(EMI) shield) between the transmission filter and the receiving filteris not necessary.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate exemplary graphs of leakage signals for filterswith and without an inductive coupler. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, theleakage signal (which is listed in ampere (A)) for certain frequenciesare reduced by 50% percent or more, when an inductive coupler such asthe one described in FIG. 1 is used in conjunction with a transmissionfilter. It is noted that the inductive coupler may work differently forsignal with different frequencies. Similarly, different inductivecouplers may work differently on different signals. Thus, the graphs ofFIGS. 2 and 3 are merely exemplary representations of possible leakagesignal reductions for various signals with different frequencies.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary graph of how much isolation is between atransmission filter and a receiving filter with and without the use ofan inductive coupler as described in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 illustrates that forin band frequencies, the isolation is about the same or similar whetheror not there is an inductive coupler. However, for out of bandfrequencies, there is an improvement in isolation with the use of aninductive coupler. For example, for out of band frequencies, more of thefrequencies have isolation of at least −50 decibels (dB) when aninductive coupler is used with a filter (radio frequency (RF) filter).For purpose of clarity, FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 do not illustrate the specificfrequencies at which signal leakage is reduced through the use of thecoupler. However, the coupler may be designed to reduce signal leakagefor any signal frequency.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary circuit configuration 100 for leakagesignal reduction implemented with a substrate. As shown in FIG. 5, thecircuit configuration 100 is implemented with a die 502 (e.g., firstdie), a die 504 (e.g., second die) and a substrate 506. The die 502 mayinclude the transmission filter 102 and the transmitter 104. The die 504may include the receiving filter 106 and the receiver 108. The die 502and the die 504 may be coupled to the substrate 506.

Different implementations may use different types of substrates. Thesubstrate 506 may be a laminate substrate, which is further describedbelow. The substrate 506 may include the inductive coupler 120, whichincludes the first inductor 122 and the second inductor 124. Theinductive coupler 120 may be formed by interconnects in and/or over thesubstrate 506. An exemplary configuration of the inductive coupler 120in a substrate is further described below in at least FIGS. 7-13. Thesubstrate 506 may also include the impedance matching component 140. Theimpedance matching component 140 may be formed by interconnects. FIG. 5illustrates that the antenna 130 is outside of the substrate 506.However, in some implementations, the antenna 130 may be implemented inand/or over the substrate 506.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary circuit configuration 100 forleakage signal reduction implemented with another substrate. As shown inFIG. 6, the circuit configuration 100 is implemented with a die 602(e.g., first die) and the substrate 506. The die 602 may include thetransmission filter 102, the transmitter 104, the receiving filter 106and the receiver 108. The die 602 may be coupled to the substrate 506.

In some implementations, the various components of a transmitter,receiver, transmission filter, receiving filter, coupler and/orimpedance matching component may be implemented in more than two diesand/or the substrate.

Exemplary Inductive Coupler for Leakage Signal Reduction

FIG. 7 illustrates a view of an inductive coupler 700 implemented in asubstrate. The inductive coupler 700 may be an example of a physicalrepresentation of the inductive coupler 120. The inductive coupler 700may be a means for inductive coupling. The inductive coupler 700includes the inductor 702 (e.g., first inductor, means for firstinductance) and the inductor 704 (e.g., second inductor, means forsecond inductance). The inductor 702 may be an example of a physicalrepresentation of the inductor 122, and the inductor 704 may be anexample of a physical representation of the inductor 124.

The inductor 702 may be formed by one or more interconnects. Similarly,the inductor 704 may be formed by one or more interconnects. Theinductor 702 is formed on a first metal (M1) layer of a substrate. Theinductor 702 is coupled to a transmission filter and antenna terminal720. The transmission filter and an antenna terminal 720 may include abump. The transmission filter and an antenna terminal 720 may be coupledto a transmission filter (e.g., 102). The inductor 702 is furthercoupled to an antenna terminal 710 through one or more interconnects708. The antenna terminal 710 may be coupled to an antenna (e.g., 130).The antenna terminal 710 may be located on the first metal (M1) layer ofthe substrate. The interconnects 708 that are coupled the inductor 702and the antenna terminal 710 may include interconnects (e.g., trace,pad) on a second metal (M2) layer of the substrate and via(s) betweenthe M1 and M2.

The inductor 704 is formed on a third metal (M3) layer of the substrate.The inductor 704 is coupled to a transmission filter and a groundterminal 722, through one or more interconnects 712 (e.g., pad, via,trace). The transmission filter and ground terminal 722 may include abump. The transmission filter and ground terminal 722 may be coupled toa transmission filter (e.g., 102). The inductor 704 may be coupled toone or more interconnects 706 coupled to a ground terminal. The one ormore interconnects 706 may be ground interconnects. The one or moreinterconnects 706 may be formed on a fourth metal (M4) layer of asubstrate. Although not shown, the inductive coupler 700, the inductor702 and the inductor 704 may be implemented in one or more dielectriclayers of a substrate. It is noted that the metal layers (e.g., M1, M2,M3, M4) of the substrate are merely exemplary. Different implementationsmay position the various components on different metal layers of thesubstrate.

FIG. 8 illustrates an angled view of a substrate 800 coupled to a die802. The substrate 800 includes the inductive coupler 700, the inductor702, the inductor 704, the interconnects 706 coupled to ground, theantenna terminal 710, the transmission filter and antenna terminal 720,and the transmission filter and ground terminal 722. The die 802 mayinclude a transmission filter and a transmitter as described in FIG. 5.In some implementations, the die 802 may include a transmission filter(e.g., 102), a transmitter (e.g., 104), a receiving filter (e.g., 106)and a receiver (e.g., 108) as described in at least FIG. 6. The die 802is coupled to the substrate 800 through the terminal 720 and theterminal 722.

FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view (e.g., top view) of the substrate 800coupled to the die 802. The inductor 702 (which is formed by one or moreinterconnects) is positioned vertically over the inductor 704 (which isformed by one or more interconnects), such that there may be mutualinductance. FIG. 10 illustrates a plan view of a first metal (M1) layerof the substrate 800. The M1 layer includes the inductor 702 and theantenna terminal 710. FIG. 11 illustrates a plan view of a second metal(M2) layer of the substrate 800. The M2 layer includes the interconnects708 that are coupled to the inductor 702 and the antenna terminal 710.FIG. 12 illustrates a plan view of a third metal (M3) layer of thesubstrate 800. The M3 layer includes the inductor 704. FIG. 13illustrates a plan view of a fourth metal (M4) layer of the substrate800. The M4 layer includes interconnects 706 coupled to ground and theinductor 704. FIGS. 7-13 illustrate an inductive coupler 700 formed on asubstrate 800 that includes 4 metal layers (e.g., M1, M2, M3, M4).However, an inductive coupler (e.g., 700) may be formed on differentnumbers of metal layers of a substrate (e.g., less than 4 metal layers,more than 4 metal layers).

FIG. 14 illustrates a profile view of a substrate 1400 that includes aninductive coupler as described in the disclosure. The substrate 1400 maybe a laminate substrate. The substrate 1400 may include any of theinductive couplers and inductors described in the disclosure. As shownin FIG. 14, the substrate 1400 includes dielectric layers 1420, 1422,1424, an inductive coupler 1410, an inductor 1402, an inductor 1404, aground terminal 1406, an antenna terminal 1408. The inductive coupler1410 may be formed by one or more interconnects on one or more metallayers. The inductor 1402 may be formed by one or more interconnects.The inductor 1404 may be formed by one or more interconnects. The groundterminal 1408 may be formed by one or more interconnects. The antennaterminal 1408 may be formed by one or more interconnects.

FIG. 15 illustrates a device 1500 that includes the substrate 1400, thedie 1504 and the die 1506. The die 1504 (e.g., first die) may be similarto the die 502. The die 1504 may include a transmission filter and atransmitter. The die 1506 (e.g., second die) may be similar to the die504. The die 1506 may include a receiving filter and a receiver. Thesubstrate 1400 includes a first solder resist layer 1524, a secondsolder resist layer 1526, and a plurality of solder interconnects 1530.The die 1504 may be coupled to the substrate 1400 through a plurality ofsolder interconnects 1540. The die 1506 may be coupled to the substrate1400 through a plurality of solder interconnects 1560. In someimplementations, some or all of functionalities of the die 1504 and thesecond 1506 may be implemented as a single die, or may be implemented inmore than two dies.

Exemplary a Substrate Comprising an Inductive Coupler

In some implementations, fabricating a substrate includes severalprocesses. FIG. 16 (which includes FIGS. 16A-16C) illustrates anexemplary sequence for providing or fabricating a substrate thatincludes an inductive coupler. In some implementations, the sequence ofFIGS. 16A-16C may be used to provide or fabricate the substrate 1400with an inductive coupler of FIG. 14.

It should be noted that the sequence of FIGS. 16A-16C may combine one ormore stages in order to simplify and/or clarify the sequence forproviding or fabricating a substrate. In some implementations, the orderof the processes may be changed or modified. In some implementations,one or more of processes may be replaced or substituted withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure.

Stage 1, as shown in FIG. 16A, illustrates a state after a carrier 1600is provided and a metal layer is formed over the carrier 1300. The metallayer may be patterned to form interconnects 1602. A plating process maybe used to form the metal layer and interconnects.

Stage 2 illustrates a state after a dielectric layer 1420 is formed overthe carrier 1300 and the interconnects 1602. The dielectric layer 1420may include polyimide.

Stage 3 illustrates a state after a plurality of cavities 1610 is formedin the dielectric layer 1420. The plurality of cavities 1610 may beformed using an etching process or laser process.

Stage 4 illustrates a state after interconnects 1612 are formed in andover the dielectric layer 1420. For example, a via, pad and/or tracesmay be formed. A plating process may be used to form the interconnects.

Stage 5 illustrates a state after another dielectric layer 1422 isformed over the dielectric layer 1420.

Stage 6, as shown in FIG. 16B, illustrates a state after a cavity 1620is formed in the dielectric layer 1422. An etching process or laserprocess may be used to form the cavities 1620.

Stage 7 illustrates a state after interconnects 1622 are formed in andover the dielectric layer 1422. For example, via, pad and/or trace maybe formed. A plating process may be used to form the interconnects.

Stage 8 illustrates a state after another dielectric layer 1424 isformed over the dielectric layer 1422.

Stage 9, as shown in FIG. 16C, illustrates a state after a cavity 1630is formed in the dielectric layer 1424. An etching process or laserprocess may be used to form the cavities 1630.

Stage 10 illustrates a state after interconnects 1632 are formed in andover the dielectric layer 1424. For example, via, pad and/or trace maybe formed. A plating process may be used to form the interconnects.

Stage 11 illustrates after the carrier 1600 is decoupled (e.g., removed,grinded out) from the dielectric layer 1420, leaving the substrate 1400(e.g., coreless substrate). In some implementation, the corelesssubstrate is an embedded trace substrate (ETS). Stage 11 illustrates thesubstrate 1400 that includes the dielectric layer 1420, the dielectriclayer 1422, and the dielectric layer 1424. In some implementations, thedielectric layer 1420, the dielectric layer 1422, and the dielectriclayer 1424 may be considered as one dielectric layer (e.g., singledielectric layer). The substrate 1400 includes the inductive coupler1410, the inductor 1402, the inductor 1404, the ground terminal 1406,and the antenna terminal 1408, which may each be formed by interconnects(e.g., 1602, 1612, 1622, 1632).

Different implementations may use different processes for forming themetal layer(s). In some implementations, a chemical vapor deposition(CVD) process and/or a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process forforming the metal layer(s). For example, a sputtering process, a spraycoating process, and/or a plating process may be used to form the metallayer(s).

Exemplary Flow Diagram of a Method for Fabricating a SubstrateComprising an Inductive Coupler

In some implementations, fabricating a substrate includes severalprocesses. FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method1700 for providing or fabricating a substrate having an inductivecoupler. In some implementations, the method 1700 of FIG. 17 may be usedto provide or fabricate the substrate of FIG. 14. For example, themethod of FIG. 17 may be used to fabricate the substrate 1400.

It should be noted that the sequence of FIG. 17 may combine one or moreprocesses in order to simplify and/or clarify the method for providingor fabricating a substrate with an inductive coupler. In someimplementations, the order of the processes may be changed or modified.

The method provides (at 1705) a carrier 1600. The method forms (at 1710)a metal layer over the carrier 1600. The metal layer may be patterned toform interconnects. A plating process may be used to form the metallayer and interconnects.

The method forms (at 1715) a dielectric layer 1420 over the carrier 1600and the interconnects. The dielectric layer 1420 may include polyimide.Forming the dielectric layer may also include forming a plurality ofcavities (e.g., 1610) in the dielectric layer 1420. The plurality ofcavities may be formed using an etching process (e.g., photo etching) orlaser process.

The method forms (at 1720) interconnects in and over the dielectriclayer. For example, the interconnects 1612 may formed. A plating processmay be used to form the interconnects. Forming interconnects may includeproviding a patterned metal layer over and/or in the dielectric layer.

The method forms (at 1725) a dielectric layer 1422 over the dielectriclayer 1420 and the interconnects. The dielectric layer 1422 may includepolyimide. Forming the dielectric layer may also include forming aplurality of cavities (e.g., 1620) in the dielectric layer 1422. Theplurality of cavities may be formed using an etching process or laserprocess.

The method forms (at 1730) interconnects in and/or over the dielectriclayer. For example, the interconnects 1622 may formed. A plating processmay be used to form the interconnects. Forming interconnects may includeproviding a patterned metal layer over an in the dielectric layer.

The method may form additional dielectric layer(s) and additionalinterconnects as described at 1725 and 1730. At least some of theinterconnects that are formed in the substrate may define the inductivecoupler 1410, the inductor 1402, the inductor 1404, the ground terminal1406, and the antenna terminal 1408.

Once all the dielectric layer(s) and additional interconnects areformed, the method may decouple (e.g., remove, grind out) the carrier(e.g., 1600) from the dielectric layer 1420, leaving the substrate withan inductive coupler. In some implementation, the coreless substrate isan embedded trace substrate (ETS).

Different implementations may use different processes for forming themetal layer(s). In some implementations, a chemical vapor deposition(CVD) process and/or a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process forforming the metal layer(s). For example, a sputtering process, a spraycoating process, and/or a plating process may be used to form the metallayer(s).

Exemplary Electronic Devices

FIG. 18 illustrates various electronic devices that may be integratedwith any of the aforementioned device, integrated device, integratedcircuit (IC) package, integrated circuit (IC) device, semiconductordevice, integrated circuit, die, interposer, package orpackage-on-package (PoP). For example, a mobile phone device 1802, alaptop computer device 1804, a fixed location terminal device 1806, awearable device 1808, or automotive vehicle 1810 may include a device1800 as described herein. The device 1800 may be, for example, any ofthe devices and/or integrated circuit (IC) packages described herein.The devices 1802, 1804, 1806 and 1808 and the vehicle 1810 illustratedin FIG. 18 are merely exemplary. Other electronic devices may alsofeature the device 1800 including, but not limited to, a group ofdevices (e.g., electronic devices) that includes mobile devices,hand-held personal communication systems (PCS) units, portable dataunits such as personal digital assistants, global positioning system(GPS) enabled devices, navigation devices, set top boxes, music players,video players, entertainment units, fixed location data units such asmeter reading equipment, communications devices, smartphones, tabletcomputers, computers, wearable devices (e.g., watches, glasses),Internet of things (IoT) devices, servers, routers, electronic devicesimplemented in automotive vehicles (e.g., autonomous vehicles), or anyother device that stores or retrieves data or computer instructions, orany combination thereof.

One or more of the components, processes, features, and/or functionsillustrated in FIGS. 1-15, 16A-16C, and/or 17-18 may be rearrangedand/or combined into a single component, process, feature or function orembodied in several components, processes, or functions. Additionalelements, components, processes, and/or functions may also be addedwithout departing from the disclosure. It should also be noted FIGS.1-15, 16A-16C, and/or 17-18 and its corresponding description in thepresent disclosure is not limited to dies and/or ICs. In someimplementations, FIGS. 1-15, 16A-16C, and/or 17-18 and its correspondingdescription may be used to manufacture, create, provide, and/or producedevices and/or integrated devices. In some implementations, a device mayinclude a die, a substrate, an integrated device, an integrated passivedevice (IPD), a die package, an integrated circuit (IC) device, a devicepackage, an integrated circuit (IC) package, a semiconductor device, apackage-on-package (PoP) device, and/or an interposer.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any implementation or aspect describedherein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other aspects of the disclosure. Likewise, the term“aspects” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure includethe discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The term“coupled” is used herein to refer to the direct or indirect couplingbetween two objects. For example, if object A physically touches objectB, and object B touches object C, then objects A and C may still beconsidered coupled to one another—even if they do not directlyphysically touch each other. It is noted that the term “electricallycoupled” means two or more components that can be electrically connectedto one another when there is a current or signal present. It is furthernoted that the term “over” as used in the present application in thecontext of one component located over another component, may be used tomean a component that is on another component and/or in anothercomponent (e.g., on a surface of a component or embedded in acomponent). Thus, for example, a first component that is over the secondcomponent may mean that (1) the first component is over the secondcomponent, but not directly touching the second component, (2) the firstcomponent is on (e.g., on a surface of) the second component, and/or (3)the first component is in (e.g., embedded in) the second component. Theterm “about ‘value X’”, or “approximately”, as used in the disclosuremeans within 10 percent of the ‘value X’. For example, a value of about1 or approximately 1, would mean a value in a range of 0.9-1.1.

In some implementations, an interconnect is an element or component of adevice that allows or facilitates an electrical connection between twopoints, elements and/or components. In some implementations, aninterconnect may include a trace, a via, a pad, a pillar, a metal layer(e.g., a redistribution metal layer), and/or an under bump metallization(UBM) layer. In some implementations, an interconnect is an electricallyconductive material that may be configured to provide an electrical pathfor a signal (e.g., a data signal, ground or power). An interconnect maybe part of a circuit. An interconnect may include more than one elementor component. An interconnect may include one or more interconnects.

In some implementations, the height of the device and/or package may bedefined along the Z-direction of the package, which is shown in thefigures of the present disclosure. In some implementations, theZ-direction of the device and/or package may be defined along an axisbetween a top portion and a bottom portion of the device and/or package.The terms top and bottom may be arbitrarily assigned, however as anexample, the top portion of the device and/or package may be a portioncomprising an encapsulation layer, while a bottom portion of the packagemay be a portion comprising a redistribution portion or a plurality ofsolder balls. In some implementations, the top portion of the packagemay be a back side of the package, and the bottom portion of the packagemay be a front side of the package. The front side of the package may bean active side of the package. A top portion may be a higher portionrelative to a lower portion. A bottom portion may be a lower portionrelative to a higher portion.

The X-Y directions or the X-Y plane of the device and/or package mayrefer to the lateral direction and/or footprint of the device and/orpackage. Examples of X-Y directions are shown in the figures of thepresent disclosure. The width, length and/or diameter of an object mayrefer to dimension(s) along the X-Y dimensions and/or the X-Y plane. Inmany of the figures of the present disclosure, the devices and/orpackages and their respective components are shown across a X-Zcross-section or X-Z plane. However, in some implementations, thepackages and their representative components may be represented across aY-Z cross-section or Y-Z plane.

Also, it is noted that various disclosures contained herein may bedescribed as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram,a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart maydescribe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operationscan be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order ofthe operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed.

The various features of the disclosure described herein can beimplemented in different systems without departing from the disclosure.It should be noted that the foregoing aspects of the disclosure aremerely examples and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure.The description of the aspects of the present disclosure is intended tobe illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. As such, thepresent teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatusesand many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent tothose skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A substrate comprising: at least one dielectriclayer; and an inductive coupler formed in the at least one dielectriclayer, the inductive coupler comprising: a first inductor formed in theat least one dielectric layer, wherein the first inductor is configuredto be coupled to a transmitter filter and an antenna; and a secondinductor formed in the at least one dielectric layer, wherein the secondinductor is configured to be coupled to the transmitter filter andground, wherein the second inductor is configured to provide a path toground for a rejected signal having a rejected frequency, and whereinthe second inductor is configured such that the rejected signaltraveling through the second inductor causes the first inductor togenerate an induced signal that counteracts a leakage signal travelingthrough the transmission filter.
 2. The substrate of claim 1, whereinthe induced signal travels towards the transmitter filter and theleakage signal travels away from the transmitter filter.
 3. Thesubstrate of claim 1, wherein the leakage signal has a first phase andthe induced signal has a phase that is approximately reverse to thefirst phase.
 4. The substrate of claim 1, wherein the leakage signal hasthe rejected frequency.
 5. The substrate of claim 4, wherein the inducedsignal has the rejected frequency.
 6. The substrate of claim 1, whereinthe leakage signal travels towards a receiving filter.
 7. The substrateof claim 6, wherein the leakage signal travels through an impedancematching component when traveling towards the receiving filter.
 8. Thesubstrate of claim 1, wherein the first inductor is coupled to thetransmitter filter through a first plurality of interconnects, andwherein the first inductor is coupled to the antenna through a secondplurality of interconnects.
 9. The substrate of claim 1, wherein thesecond inductor is coupled to the transmitter filter through a thirdplurality of interconnects, and wherein the second inductor is coupledto ground through a fourth plurality of interconnects.
 10. The substrateof claim 1, wherein the substrate is incorporated into a device selectedfrom a group consisting of a music player, a video player, anentertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, amobile device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digitalassistant, a fixed location terminal, a tablet computer, a computer, awearable device, a laptop computer, a server, and a device in anautomotive vehicle.
 11. An apparatus comprising: a die comprising atransmission filter; and a substrate coupled to the die, the substratecomprising: at least one dielectric layer; and means for inductivecoupling comprising: means for first inductance formed in the at leastone dielectric layer, wherein the means for first inductance is coupledto the transmitter filter and an antenna; and means for secondinductance formed in the at least one dielectric layer, wherein themeans for second inductance is coupled to the transmitter filter andground, wherein the means for second inductance is configured to providea path to ground for a rejected signal having a rejected frequency, andwherein the means for second inductance is configured such that therejected signal traveling through the means for second inductance causesthe means for first inductance to generate an induced signal thatcounteracts a leakage signal traveling through the transmission filter.12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the induced signal travelstowards the transmitter filter and the leakage signal travels away fromthe transmitter filter.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theleakage signal has a first phase and the induced signal has a phase thatis approximately reverse to the first phase.
 14. The apparatus of claim11, wherein the leakage signal has the rejected frequency.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the induced signal has the rejectedfrequency.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the die furthercomprises a transmitter coupled to the transmitter filter.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 11, further comprising a second die comprising areceiving filter coupled to the means for first inductance.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, wherein the second die further comprises areceiving coupled to the receiver.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein the die further comprises a receiving filter coupled to themeans for first inductance.
 20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theapparatus is incorporated into a device selected from a group consistingof a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigationdevice, a communications device, a mobile device, a mobile phone, asmartphone, a personal digital assistant, a fixed location terminal, atablet computer, a computer, a wearable device, a laptop computer, aserver, and a device in an automotive vehicle.
 21. A method forfabricating a substrate, comprising: providing an inductive coupler witha substrate, wherein providing the inductive coupler comprises:providing a first inductor formed in the at least one dielectric layerof the substrate, wherein the first inductor is coupled to a transmitterfilter and an antenna; and providing a second inductor formed in the atleast one dielectric layer, wherein the second inductor is coupled tothe transmitter filter and ground, wherein the second inductor isconfigured to provide a path to ground for a rejected signal having arejected frequency, and wherein the second inductor is configured suchthat the rejected signal traveling through the second inductor causesthe first inductor to generate an induced signal that counteracts aleakage signal traveling through the transmission filter.
 22. The methodof claim 21, wherein the induced signal travels towards the transmitterfilter and the leakage signal travels away from the transmitter filter.23. The method of claim 21, wherein the leakage signal has a first phaseand the induced signal has a phase that is approximately reverse to thefirst phase.
 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the leakage signal hasthe rejected frequency.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the inducedsignal has the rejected frequency.